The typical day at Lac du Bois begins around 8:00am, when the village wakes up and starts heading to Paris for breakfast at 8:30.  However, the pavillon whose cleaning task for the day is to set the tables must arrive 15 minutes earlier.      

      At breakfast, villagers can chose from a variety of foods offered, from muesli with yogurt to real 'French food' such as warm baguette fresh from the ovens of  Lac du Bois. This is also when counselors present the theme of the day, when information for the day is announced and when the villagers have the chance to join in the daily game of  "Super Français" where they attempt to speak only in French for the entire day.  Those who succeed receive a small prize the next day. Who will survive the "Super Français" challenge?
During 'Nettoyage' (cleaning time) each villager helps to clean the pavillon and even occasionally the bathrooms. They make their beds, sweep, vaccuum and tidy their clothes cabinets.  The cleanest cabin gets a special prize each week!   But don't forget that we have to clean the central buildings, Paris, Rennes and Nice, too!

At this point, the credit villagers go to their classes, taught by one of the Credit teachers of Lac du Bois. For villagers in the two week program, it's time for the 'Grande Odyssée', then off to their 'Odyssées Linguistiques.'

The bell rings at 11:00, which means it's time for a break!  Afterwards, the credit villagers return to their classes and the two week villagers begin their Odyssée Culturelle, which follows the same theme as their 'Odyssées Linguistiques.'

 
     It's our habit at  Lac du Bois to present a humourous sketch for each lunch-time to reinfornce the theme of the day and to teach the vocabulary related to the food we'll be eating. Villagers and monos alike have fun! For each course that comes out, the villagers have to answer a question about the daily theme.  Need help?  Look for the answer on the 'Triangle de Sagesse!'

Tired?  It's a good thing that it's time for our daily 'Sieste' - our one hour nap time where everyone has the time to rest and recharge for the afternoon.  Afterwards, the activity begins anew with conversation classes for the credit villagers and "Carnets de voyage" (travel journals) for the two week villagers.

Next on to the 'Odyssées loisirs!' These are the week-long activities in larger groups directed by various counselors.  All villagers chose their odyssey at the beginning of the week and have five days to become 'experts' in their chosen field.

And finally, every villager's favorite moment of the day: le Temps Libre! If the weather's nice, go have a refreshing dip in the lake and pass your time playing water polo or simply swim with your friends.  Or you can go to the stores to buy candy and souvenirs.  The monos are happy to welcome you at the Sucré Cœur or at the bank, where you can withdraw Euros to make your purchases.  Do you know the phrase magique? 

 

Otherwise, why not spend some time at the terrace of Café Danièle savoring a 'diablo' or a (decaf) espresso? None of these your cup of tea?  Don't worry - the monos are there and have offered several different free time activities: temporary tattoos, watercolors, a soccer game...  There's something going on for everybody.

Mail time!  The counselors from each 'pavillon' distribute the numerous letters and packages that mom and dad have generously sent.  It's a time that every villager looks forward to all day.  So send a quick note to tell them that you're thinking of them!

Before dinner, everyone gets together in from of Paris to watch an episode of our daily soap opera "Plaisirs d'Amour." The monos dress up and put on several scenes every day that delight everyone - from the youngest villagers to the oldest.  As soon as Plaisirs d'Amour is over, it's the villagers' turn to sing our very own village songs.  We sing about Jean-Claude, Lac du Bois, "L'Arbre est dans ses Feuilles..." In short, a whole range of songs that everyone learns by heart - in French, bien-sûr!

The meal presentation lets everyone know that dinner is on its way.  Yum yum; we're going to eat well again!  We know that the kitchen won't let us down!  Merci à la cuisine! Once the dishes are cleared and the tables are cleaned, it's time for "La Poste du Lac du Bois" introduced by a sketch presenting our 'celebrity mailman'.  Each villager can send notes to friends and counselors, too!

 

The daily theme winds up in the evening program.  The monos organise an activity related to theme in question for the entire village.  Unless, of course, it's our cabin night, when each cabin plans and executes its own activity.  In doing so we get to know each other a little better and solidify our cabin community!

The last moments of the day that the villagers are together before heading back to the cabins for a well-deserved rest are at the camp fire. The camp fire takes place at the beach and is an incredibly relaxing moment of the day, where we sing our evening songs surrounded by our friends and our favorite counselors.  Afterwards, everyone heads back to their cabins - the end of another day at Lac du Bois.